Dr. Renee Leslie Kaswan

KASWAN, Dr. Renee

Leslie

Renee Leslie Kaswan, a pioneering veterinary ophthalmologist, died on January 18, 2024. She invented Restasis, the first cure for chronic dry eye syndrome, and co-founded a leading animal hospital. Kaswan died by suicide, following a long battle with mental illness. Although her struggles impacted many of her relationships, Kaswan lived her life by making choices that she thought would benefit the world. She was 69.

Born in 1954, in Cleveland and raised in Westfield, NJ, she was the second of four children to Jerry and Joan Kaswan. She excelled at math and science at a time when those traits were rarely valued in girls. She studied chemistry at Emory University and then pursued veterinary medicine at the University of Georgia.

She said she attended veterinary school because, in the 1970s, women were not welcome. She hated being told "No." She chose ophthalmology because it was unpopular with male students and she could carve a lane for herself. She believed she should be indispensable to be successful as a woman. She obtained a masters degree in immunology along with her veterinary doctorate and pursued a research trajectory. Despite recognition for her intellect and academic achievements, Kaswan described experiencing sexism during vet school. She continued to surmount barriers because of her sex throughout her career.

As a veterinary professor at UGA in the 1980s, Kaswan made a striking discovery. She researched chronic dry eye syndrome, a condition in which the immune system may attack tear ducts. She found that the pharmaceutical compound cyclosporine suppressed this immune response so that tear ducts could regenerate and produce natural tears. At the time, there were no therapeutic treatments for dry eye. Kaswan cured the disease.

With strategic assistance from her family, she obtained a patent and FDA approval for ophthalmic cyclosporine and licensed it to the pharmaceutical companies Schering-Plough and Allergan. The drug is branded Optimmune in animals and Restasis in humans. One of the most valuable intellectual properties ever developed at UGA, Restasis earned billions for Allergan. Nonetheless, Kaswan spent years battling UGA and pharmaceutical companies to realize her invention's potential and seek her fair share, with mixed results.

Just as she began to enjoy the rewards of her work, Kaswan's mental health struggles grew and harmed her personal life. Kaswan married her second husband in 1981; he was the father of her son and stepdaughter. Kaswan's mental illness caused emotional highs and lows and often irrational thoughts and behavior. Her disease made unattainable the deep relationships she desperately wanted.

Following divorce in 1994, Kaswan moved to Atlanta. She co-founded a cutting-edge animal hospital, Georgia Veterinary Specialists. It did everything from treating cats with cancer, to saving injured police dogs, to treating diseased geese who ate from country club dumpsters. Kaswan gradually stepped back from veterinary practice to focus on her enterprises. GVS merged with other hospitals to build the leading veterinary specialty company, Blue Pearl, which was later acquired by Mars, Inc.

In retirement, Kaswan became a generous philanthropist. She split her time between Wyoming and southern California. She believed she had a responsibility to share her success with others. She supported charities providing medical care in developing countries and combating homelessness.

Kaswan loved living. She reveled in art and music—the louder and more provocative, the better. She traveled to every corner of the world, relishing new experiences, particularly if she could bring a friend. She was the life of the party, throwing extravagant events. She also loved nature and often could be found horseback riding in the mountains with her dog, playing tennis, or scuba diving.

In 2020, Kaswan's mental health deteriorated substantially. She began a downward spiral and ultimately succumbed to her disease.

Dr. Renee Kaswan is survived by her father, three siblings and their children, her son and former stepdaughter, and two grandchildren.